During the 1920s there was a significant change in the silhouette of the women’s shape. Before the war, women were forced to wear many crippling corsets and skirts down to the floor. There were layers and layers of fabric and almost no skin on the women’s figure was shown. Then during the 1920s, while women were striving for equality with men in the workplace and the right to vote, their dress started to reflect those goals. Women could breathe again without being suppressed by corsets. Women’s hair was getting shorter, influenced mostly by Louise Brooks. The shoulders were more emphasized and becoming broader. Their busts were being suppressed and feminine curves weren’t seen as flattering. The waistlines were dropped and by 1926 women’s dresses were close to their knees. Clothes were becoming looser and less form fitting. An example of this was the “one hour dress”. It was a simple and easy dress to make and put on in the morning. It was designed in 1926 by the Women’s Fashion Institute. It was called the one hour dress because it could be made in only an hour which was fast for the 1920s. Also, with this new trend, since it was simpler than the Victorian era, the styles became more affordable and attainable for the middle class and poor. Sewing these flapper dresses was easier. Designers such as Coco Chanel and Paul Poiret were promoting this type of fashion. The manly figure and the new silhouette complimented the urban and progressive women’s strive for equality and the new steps women were taking.
These two videos show the ideas from where fashion in the 1920s came from.
Masculine Silhouette
During the 1920s there was a significant change in the silhouette of the women’s shape. Before the war, women were forced to wear many crippling corsets and skirts down to the floor. There were layers and layers of fabric and almost no skin on the women’s figure was shown. Then during the 1920s, while women were striving for equality with men in the workplace and the right to vote, their dress started to reflect those goals. Women could breathe again without being suppressed by corsets. Women’s hair was getting shorter, influenced mostly by Louise Brooks. The shoulders were more emphasized and becoming broader. Their busts were being suppressed and feminine curves weren’t seen as flattering. The waistlines were dropped and by 1926 women’s dresses were close to their knees. Clothes were becoming looser and less form fitting. An example of this was the “one hour dress”. It was a simple and easy dress to make and put on in the morning. It was designed in 1926 by the Women’s Fashion Institute. It was called the one hour dress because it could be made in only an hour which was fast for the 1920s. Also, with this new trend, since it was simpler than the Victorian era, the styles became more affordable and attainable for the middle class and poor. Sewing these flapper dresses was easier. Designers such as Coco Chanel and Paul Poiret were promoting this type of fashion. The manly figure and the new silhouette complimented the urban and progressive women’s strive for equality and the new steps women were taking.
These two videos show the ideas from where fashion in the 1920s came from.
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